Author: Richard Alan Morgan, DO

Richard Morgan was a board-certified physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation who trained at the Rusk Institute of NYU Medical Center. He graduated NYCOM in 1998. He went into private practice in New York City with a focus on sports medicine and musculoskeletal disorders. Throughout his early career, triggered by an early injury and surgical procedure, he followed a dark path down an abyss of addiction that ultimately led him to federal prison, where he was sentenced to 14 years for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. After serving 97 months of his sentence, he was rewarded with an early release. In the one year he has been out of prison, he has begun the process of not only reconnecting with his family and society, but he has begun the process of giving back and helping others with chemical dependency. His story was recently highlighted on the Dr. Oz show, and he shared his story with his alma mater at NYCOM, stressing the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of addiction in colleagues.

I never thought it could possibly happen to me. As a practicing physician with an active chemical dependency to opiates and benzodiazepines, I fell down the rabbit hole with an intensity that I never believed possible. Although I am blessed and fortunate to have climbed out of that abyss, I have never forgotten some of the things that led me to the precipice.

Richard Morgan was a board-certified physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation who trained at the Rusk Institute of NYU Medical Center. He graduated NYCOM in 1998. He went into private practice in New York City with a focus on sports medicine and musculoskeletal disorders. Throughout his early career, triggered by an early injury and surgical procedure, he followed a dark path down an abyss of addiction that ultimately led him to federal prison, where he was sentenced to 14 years for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. After serving 97 months of his sentence, he was rewarded with an early release. In the one year he has been out of prison, he has begun the process of not only reconnecting with his family and society, but he has begun the process of giving back and helping others with chemical dependency. His story was recently highlighted on the Dr. Oz show, and he shared his story with his alma mater at NYCOM, stressing the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of addiction in colleagues.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Please leave this field empty

Email *

Check your inbox now to confirm your subscription.

Donate to in-House

in-House is run entirely by volunteer residents and fellows, and we need your donations to keep this website online. All donations are used only for website hosting fees.

Purchase Our Books

in-House

in-House is the agora of the resident and fellow community, the intellectual center for news, commentary, and the free expression of the voice of housestaff in residency and fellowship. We publish articles about humanism in medicine, patient stories, graduate medical education, the resident and fellow experience, health policy, medical ethics, art and literature in medicine, and much more.

Purchase Our Books

Donate to in-House

in-House is run entirely by volunteer residents and fellows, and we need your donations to keep this website online. All donations are used only for website hosting fees.

Meta

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Please leave this field empty

Email *

Check your inbox now to confirm your subscription.

Social

in-House is the premier online publication dedicated to the community of residents and fellows and run entirely by volunteers in residency and fellowship. We identify ourselves as a magazine, combining the strengths of a peer-reviewed scientific research journal, an online newspaper, and a blog into a housestaff-run publisher of the best articles written by residents and fellows from around the world.